


The Girl I Knew Somewhere

by scruffandyarn



Series: Missing Links [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-27
Updated: 2015-10-27
Packaged: 2018-04-28 12:41:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5091116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scruffandyarn/pseuds/scruffandyarn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p></p><div class="center">
  <p>You're standing in the places and you're<br/>staring down through faces, that bring to mind traces<br/>of a girl, a girl that I knew somewhere</p>
</div>
            </blockquote>





	The Girl I Knew Somewhere

**Author's Note:**

> So, this was supposed to be a short, fluffy Sam x Reader oneshot. It is not that. At all. Sam is…well…he doesn’t come out smelling like roses. But I’m thinking that maybe, if there’s enough demand (or just because I feel like it), I’ll do a follow up or two that ends a lot better  
> Also, if you don’t like fics that are episode-centered, you’ll probably want to skip this one, since it’s centered around the pilot.

**2005**

You drummed your fingers against your knees, willing the butterflies that had taken residency in your stomach to settle.  Unfortunately, that was in vain.  The only thing that would help you to relax right now would be a shot or two of whiskey and to be several states away from where you were currently located.

A light turning on in one of the upstairs apartments caught your eye.  You turned your head completely, focusing all of your attention on the figures you could make out.  From where you were, you couldn’t tell who was whom.  But you did notice something.  There were three of them.  

And Dean had most certainly gone up solo.

 

**1999**

“Well, if it isn’t my annoying little brother and sister.”  Dean rolled his eyes as he yanked you and Sam from the shadows.  “Thought I told you two to stay at the motel.”

“Not your sister, asshole.  You don’t get to boss me around.”  You jerked your arm from his grip.

“I do when our dads leave me in charge, ______.”  He released Sam’s arm and turned his wrath on him.  “Why the hell didn’t you stay put?  You know there’s a wraith out here somewhere!  You’re being fucking stupid, risking your life and hers!”

“You went out alone!”  You jumped in, as Sam didn’t seem up for talking.  “And you’re walking down some creepy alleyway all by yourself.  So, you don’t get to call anyone stupid, you fucking hypocrite.”

“Do either of you even know how to kill a wraith?”  Dean looked back and forth between the two of you.

That had you stopping short.

Dean read the hesitation on your face.  “And this is why I told you to stay!  I bet this was your idea, ______.  Such a fucking idiot.”

“Hey!”  Sam finally found his voice.  “She was worried about you, dickwad.”

“Yeah.”  You nodded.  “At least our dads were smart enough to hunt this SOB together.  You going off on your own is just going to end up getting you killed.”

Dean rolled his eyes again.  “I’m touched, really.  But I definitely don’t need a couple of kids watching my back.”

“I’m sixteen, Dean.  I’m not a kid.”  Finally, Sam seemed as irritated with the situation as you were.

“Until you can buy your own porn, you’re a fucking kid.”  Dean growled and postured, making sure to emphasize his height over his brother.  “Get back to the motel and you stay there.”

“Dean–” You protested.

He ignored you completely.  “I will call our dads and have the two of you on lockdown so fast, your heads will spin.  Got me?”

“Fine,” Sam snarled.  He grabbed your arm and began to drag you out of the alley.  “Let’s go, ______.”

“Sam, stop!”  You could feel his fingers digging into your flesh, sure to leave a nice set of bruises on your skin.

He didn’t respond, so you let yourself be pulled back towards the motel, leaving Dean to his own devices.  You knew Sam was pissed, but at least it wasn’t at you.  Sam might not be much taller than you, but he could definitely be intimidating when he was angry.

You’d just caught sight of the flickering neon sign of the motel when he started speaking again.

“I really fucking hate that they treat me so much like a child.” He was talking more to himself than to you.  “Think I’m fucking helpless.”

“If it means anything, Sam, I think you’re pretty badass.” You smiled hopefully.

“What do you know?  You’re just a fucking kid.”

Well, that hadn’t been expected.  “Whoa, whoa, whoa.” You planted your feet firmly, halting both of you.  “I’m only a year younger than you.”  

“Which means a year less of experience to get yourself killed over.”

“Do not,” you glared at him, “do not treat me like that.  You don’t get to take your anger with Dean and your dad out on me.  I may not be as old as you, but I’ve had plenty of hunting experience.  And just because I don’t know how to kill a wraith doesn’t–”  

He cut you off with a swift press of his lips against yours.  It actually took you a full second to realize what was happening.  When you did, you shoved against his shoulders.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing, Winchester?”

He smirked.  “Always seems to work in the movies to get a girl to stop talking.”

You reached up and smacked the back of his head.  “This isn’t the movies, idiot.”  

“Yeah, I get that.  In the movies, the girl always swoons when the guy kisses her.”

“There’s a real, live wraith out there that could turn our dads and your brother into it’s next meal.  And we’re just expected to sit on our asses and do nothing!”  You were losing your cool very quickly.  

“Hey,” he wrapped his arms around you.  “They’re gonna be OK.”

“How do you know that, Sam?”  You’d been hunting with your dad for three years now, and this was the first time he’d left you behind.  

“Your dad’s a good hunter, ______.  My dad’s good, too.  And chances are, Dean’s on his way right now to help them out.  They’re going to be done soon and they’re going to be fine.”  He flashed you a half-smile before leaning in to kiss your forehead.  “Which means we should probably get our asses back in the motel room before they get here.”

You rolled your eyes, but returned the smile.  “Fine.”

 

**2005**

You’d been tracking the people in the room–now there were two of them.  Must be Sam and Dean, since the other figure had gone further into the apartment.  Probably towards a bedroom or something, giving the brothers a chance to talk.

Looking down, you realized your hands had clenched into fists.  When had that happened?  You leaned your head back against the seat and returned your gaze to the window where two figures still stood.  Another light had come on in the apartment and you could see someone moving around in the room.

Fuck.  Of course it would be a beautiful woman.  She moved by the window–so close that you could see she was in nothing but a t-shirt and panties.  Obviously, she knew nothing about the lifestyle Sam had before he’d brought her back to his place or she’d never have gotten close enough to the window to be seen.

 

**2002**

“Sam!  ______!  Let’s go!”

You sighed and leaned back from Sam’s kiss.  “We better get going before your dad sends Dean in here to break us up.”

“I could take him.”  He grinned cheekily.

“I’m sure you could.”  You kissed his nose before pushing yourself to your feet.  “But then we’d be down one hunter.  It’d be fine if it was only one ghoul, but since there’s two, we’ll probably need his help.”

“I dunno.  Five-to-two seems like the odds are plenty stacked in our favor.”  He snatched his t-shirt up from the motel bed and slipped it back over his head.  

You opened your mouth to reply when Dean poked his head into the room, his eyes squeezed shut.

“You two decent?”

“Sam is, but I’m stark naked.”  You rolled your eyes as you grabbed your jacket.

Immediately, Dean’s eyes shot open.  “Ugh.  You’re a filthy stinking liar, ______.”  He pouted.

“And you’re a jackass for trying to sneak a peek at my girlfriend.”  Sam shifted to stand between you and Dean.

“Relax, Sam.  Dean knows he’d get his eyes clawed out if he ever actually did see me naked.”  You slid your knife in its sheath on your thigh and zipped up your jacket.  “You’re the only one who gets the privilege.”  You stood on your tiptoes to kiss Sam’s cheek.

“Better not let your dad hear that, ______, or that’ll be the last thing Sam does.”  Dean grinned.  

“Let’s just go, OK?”  Sam took your hand.

“Finally.”  Dean groused playfully, then ducked out of the room.

“You OK, Sam?”

“I’m fine.”  He started walking towards the door, but stopped when he felt you tugging on his hand.  “OK, I’m not fine.  I don’t wanna do this anymore.”

“Do what?”  You eyed him, unsure of where he was headed.

“This hunt!  It was better when you and your dad were still halfway across the state.  But now you’re here and…I don’t…”

“You don’t want me here?”  That stung.  It was hard, having a relationship and only being able to see the other person whenever a hunt allowed you to cross paths.  Sure, you and Sam wracked up the phone bills for some unidentified people (thank you, credit card scams), but you hated that, at most, you only got to see him once a month.  And if he didn’t want you here anymore?

“I don’t want to lose you, ______.  Hunting, chasing monsters–you could get hurt.”  He bit his bottom lip.  “My dad–when my mom–I don’t want to lose you.”

“Oh, Sam.”  You reached up and cupped his cheek with your hand.  “I don’t wanna lose you either.  But you know, I mean–”  You closed your eyes.  “We’ll get out of this.  One day.  You and me.”

“You mean that?”  He’d been talking about getting out of the hunting life off and on for as long as you’d known him.  Mostly, you’d just let him ramble whenever he’d start, but right now, you could see a spark of something in his eyes.  Like you’d just offered him a light at the end of the tunnel.

There was no way you wanted to squash that spark.  “Yeah.  But right now, they really will need our help.  Three against two isn’t nearly as good as five against two.”

“I know.  I just–”  He pulled you over to where his duffel bag sat.  He unzipped a side pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper.  “I need you to see this.”  He held it out to you.

You were definitely curious.  As your eyes scanned the words on the page, you felt a smile tug at your lips.  “Oh my god!  Sam!  This is fantastic!”

“We’re getting out of this life.  You and me.”

Your mind began working double-time.  “This is perfect.  I’ve always wanted to spend more than a day or two in California.  Go to the beach.  I can work as a waitress or something while you go to school and–god, what did your dad and Dean say?  I bet they’re so proud of–”

“They don’t know.”

“You’re going to tell them, though.  Right?  You’re not just going to vanish in the night and leave them thinking you’re dead or something.”  You still had the scars on your heart from when your mother had decided to do that very thing.  You and your dad had been beside yourselves with grief, thinking some monster had killed her.  It wasn’t until the two of you had happened upon a quaint little diner on one particular hunt and found her working the register, that you realized what had happened.  More than the fact that she’d left you thinking she was dead–she’d left you.

“No.  I’m gonna tell them.  Just…not yet.  I’ll wait until we’re not actively hunting something.  Otherwise, they’ll probably succeed in convincing me to stay and help.”

“OK, just as long as you do tell them.”

Sam frowned, sensing your distress.  “Hey, it’ll be OK.  We’ll get a place on the beach and I’ll be a lawyer and you can be my cute, stay-at-home wife and raise our 2.5 kids.”  

He pulled you into a hug that immediately began to relieve your stress.  How he managed to always do that, you’d never know.

“Psh.  Cute, nothing.  I’m badass.”

He laughed.  “Yeah.  Totally badass.”  He kissed the top of your head.  “And amazing.”  He kissed your cheek.  “And sexy as hell.”  He kissed the side of your neck.

“Sam,” you groaned, leaning your head to the side to give him better access.  You felt him grin against your skin.

“Fucking hell!  I swear to god, if the two of you don’t get your asses out to the car right now, I’m going to–”

“We’re going, Dean.”  You growled.  “Keep your pants on.”

“You, too, sister.”  Dean ushered you and Sam out of the room.  “You, too.”

 

**2005**

What the hell was taking so long?  Was Dean reciting an entire book of latin incantations up there or something?

Wait.

The taller figure–Sam–was moving into the room with the woman.  He, at least, stayed far enough from the window that you couldn’t make him out clearly.  Whoever this woman was, he really needed to clue her in on how to stay safe.

Fuck.  That kiss, as quick as it was, left no doubt as to who this woman was.  No, you didn’t have a name or age or any biographical information on her, but she was with Sam.  Your Sam.

You squeezed your eyes shut, not wanting to see anymore.  Unfortunately, your brain decided to replay that kiss over and over and over.  No–you needed to shut this off or down or whatever.  From what you could tell, Dean and Sam were on their way to where you were sitting in the back of the Impala.  The last thing you needed was for either one of them to see you upset.

 

**2002**

You were going to be in so much trouble, but you didn’t care.  As long as you didn’t get pulled over or wreck out, nothing mattered but getting to that fucking bus station.

“Sam?”

There he was, a head taller than everyone around him, turning at the sound of your voice.  “______?”

“Sam!  Oh, god.  I didn’t think I’d make it in time!”

He pulled you against him and wrapped his arms around you.  “Shit, your heart is racing.  Did you run all the way here?”  He was going for light-hearted, but the ache in his tone caused it to fall flat.

“Through the terminal, anyway.”  You felt tears forming in your eyes.  “God, I’m going to miss you.”

“You won’t be missing me for long, ______.  I’m gonna call you as soon as I get a place.  Then you’re going to come live with me and we can get married and never have to hunt again.”

You leaned up to kiss him.  “Promise?”

“Yeah.”  He pressed his forehead to yours.  “I love you.”

You choked on a sob.  “I love you, too, Sam.”  Even just a month away from him was too long.

“Hey, ______.  Glad you could make it to see our boy off.”  Dean’s voice was tight, as if it was costing him dearly not to break down in some sort of emotion.

“Hey, Dean.”  You looked over at him.  He looked so haggard, it made you flinch.  “Wouldn’t be anyplace else.”  You offered a smile and he returned a weak one.  Then you turned back to Sam.  “I’m so proud of you, baby.”

“At least someone is.”  Sam’s irritation was not subtle.

“Not this shit again.”  Dean sighed under his breath.  “I’ll see you later, Sammy.”

“It’s Sam.”

“Whatever.”  And Dean was gone.

“What was that all about?”

Sam narrowed his gaze as he looked to where Dean had taken off.  “My dad.  He says if I go, I should just stay gone.”

“Oh, Sam–”

“Dean’s at least being a bit nicer about the whole thing, but I can tell he’s pissed, too.  Wouldn’t even play the radio the entire ride here.”

“Look, Sam, your dad and Dean–they’re like family to me.  And I know they’re proud of you.  They just worry about you.”

“Right.”  He rolled his eyes.  “Like they were so worried about me when they were dragging me on all those hunts.”  He sighed and turned his attention back to you.  “If they weren’t worried about me then, then they shouldn’t be worried about me now.  I’m just going to college.”

You pursed your lips.  Now was not the time to be hashing out family issues.  “Is it OK if I worry about you while you’re gone?”

He smiled.  “You’re worried about me?”

“I always worry about you, Sam.  I don’t–I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you.”

“You’re never going to have to find out, ______.  You’ll be out in Palo Alto with me before you know it.”  

Before you had a chance to respond, the phone in your pocket started buzzing.  “Shit.  That’s probably my dad.  He’s gonna be so pissed.”

“Why?”

You felt your cheeks begin to redden slightly.  “I may have lifted his keys and possibly drove all night by myself to make sure I made it here in time.”  You shook your head.  “He’s gonna kill me.”

“You tell him if he kills you, then he’s not invited to our wedding.”

That had you grinning.  “I love you, Sam.”

“I love you, too, ______.”

 

**2005**

“…melting the silver into bullets?  Man, Dean, we were raised like warriors.”  There was the voice you hadn’t heard in close to three years.

Time to get your game face on.

“So what are you gonna do, huh?  Just live some normal, apple-pie life?  Is that it?”

“No.  Not normal.  Safe.”

“That’s why you ran away.”  Dean scoffed.  

It took everything in you not to turn around in your seat.  You wanted to shout at Dean–Sam was allowed to do what he wanted.  Sam was his own person and didn’t have to answer to anyone if he didn’t want to.

Not even to you.

“I was just going to college.  It was Dad who said if I was gonna go, I should just stay gone.  That’s what I’m doing.”

“Dad’s in real trouble right now.  If he’s not dead already.  I can feel it.”  Dean sighed.  “We can’t do this without you, Sam.”

“We?”

“Yeah.  Picked up ______ a few months ago.  She’s been hunting with me and Dad after her old man died.”

“______?”

You turned around at the sound of Sam saying your name.  He looked completely dumbfounded.  Sighing, you forced yourself to exit the vehicle and finally face him.

“Hey, Sam.”

“I thought–you’re still–I mean…” he struggled to find the words.  “I’m sorry about your dad.”

You shrugged and dropped your gaze.  “Me too.”

“You in, Sam?”  Dean spoke up, drawing both your attention and Sam’s.  “We could really use your help on this one.”

Sam cast his gaze once more on you before turning back to Dean.  “What was he hunting?”

 

 

Law school interview.  Sam was finally getting into law school.  He’d get that house on the beach.  He’d get his 2.5 kids.  And he’d do it all without you.

“You OK back there?”  Dean turned around in the front seat so that he was facing you.

“I’m fine.”

“Right.  That’s why you look like you’re about to crawl out of your skin.”  Dean rolled his eyes and turned back to the front.  He started drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, obviously as antsy as you were, just for a completely different reason.  “Jesus, how long does it take that kid to pack?”

“Who’s the girl?”  You blurted out, then grimaced.  Great–now you sounded like a pathetic loser.

“Who?  Sam’s girl?”  Once upon a time, that was you.  “Name’s Jess.  She’s cute.  Got nothing on you, though.”  He flashed a grin in the rearview mirror.

You sighed.  “You’re still not getting any from me, Dean.”

This was a game the two of you had picked up.  Both of you knew that you only viewed the other as a sibling.  Flirting was something that came as easy as breathing to Dean, and you just enjoyed teasing him.  There was a mutual understanding that nothing would ever happen between the two of you, and you were both very content with that.

“Why you gotta be like that, ______?”

Maybe you could survive this.  As long as Dean kept up the banter and kept your mind from thinking about Sam.

“You know you love it when I play hard to get.”

“I always get it in the end, baby.”

“Baby?”

You and Dean looked to see Sam standing just outside of the front passenger door.  You could feel embarrassment start to overwhelm you.  But why should you be embarrassed?  It’s not like you were dating Sam anymore.

“Yeah, Dean.  Baby?  You’re gonna insult me and Baby by getting our names mixed up?”  You forced a grin.  “At least call me ‘honey’ or something.”

You noticed Sam’s grip on his bag tightened as he slid into the passenger seat.

“I can think of lots of things to call you, ______.”

“Dude.  That’s–”  Sam whipped around to glare at Dean.  

“What, Sam?”  Dean cocked an eyebrow.

“Just fucking drive.”

 

 

“I’m gonna go grab some grub.”  Dean said as he climbed out of the car.  “Either of you want anything?”

You had already undone your seatbelt.  No way were you going to be left alone with Sam.  “I’ll get my own, thanks.  The last thing I need is you getting the wrong chips again.”

Dean rolled his eyes.  “Women.”

You ignored him and continued towards the store.

“What about you?”

Sam just shrugged, staring after you with a curious expression on his face.

“Why do I feel like I’m trapped in an episode of Dawson’s Creek?”  Dean asked, sliding up next to you as you perused the aisle like it was your job.

“It’s my prerogative if I want to avoid that awkward ‘how have you been’ conversation I know will happen as soon as Sam and I are alone.  I just wanna find John and get back to hunting.  None of us need to be getting nostalgic or we’ll end up getting sloppy.”

Dean seemed to mull over your words.  “I get that.  Lucky for me, I usually don’t remember anything about the girl after the next morning.”

You rolled your eyes, but kept your mouth shut.  You knew what he’d been through with a girl he’d met a while back…Cassie.  You’d respected his need to bury it, and from the looks of it, he’d let you do the same.

 

 

Dean reached over and grabbed a box from the glove compartment.

“Seriously, Dean?  No one believes you’re a Fed.  You look like an underwear model, not a government agent.”  You rolled your eyes as he snatched the badges from the box.

“Flattery will get you everywhere, ______.”  He grinned.

“I look even less like a Fed.  In what universe is a 21-year-old a Fed?”

“Oh, come on, sweetheart.  You can be my protégé.”  He wiggled his eyebrows.  “I’ll teach you everything I know.”

“Yeah, I’m sure that will take all of a minute.”

“I’m quick, but I’m good.”

Sam huffed.  “Let’s just go.”

 

 

“…and whoever picks her up, well, they disappear forever.”

You exchanged knowing glances with Dean just to quickly turn your gaze back to the girls when Sam looked your way.

“Thanks, ladies.”  You reached out and patted Amy’s hand.  “We’ll find him.  OK?  Wherever Troy is, we’ll find him.  And we’ll do our best to get him back to you.”

“Right.”  Dean smiled.  “I’m sure he’s fine.  He used to do stuff like this all the time when he was younger.  A bit of a prankster, that one.”

Amy heaved a sigh.  “Thanks.”

It wasn’t until after the three of you had exited the restaurant that Sam turned to you.  “We’ll find him?  Get him back?  ______, these men don’t come back.”

“What did you want her to say, Sammy?  That he’s probably dead?”  Dean rolled his eyes.  “We need to get to the library and do a little research.”

“You’re not making me do this all on my own again.”  You eyed Dean.  “I’m not spending my afternoon alone in a library while you hit up the nearest strip club.”  You pushed past the brothers and continued down the sidewalk.

“Strip club?”

“It was one time.”

 

 

You watched as Sam typed the word ‘suicide’ into the search engine.  It returned with a single hit.  A smile formed on your face–of course he’d know what to type in.  Such a freaking brilliant man, your–.

As quickly as it had come, the smile vanished.  He wasn’t your Sam anymore.  He hadn’t been for a long time.  He was that girl’s Sam.  Jess’s Sam.  And you’d do very well to remember it.

“That bridge look familiar?”  

You refocused your attention on the screen.  “Well, I’ll be damned.”

 

 

“You think you’re just gonna become some lawyer?  Marry your girl?”

You needed this hunt over.  Now.  Having to look at Sam hurt, but knowing he had moved on made you feel like you’d swallowed shards of glass and they were tearing you apart from the inside.

“Why not?”

You had a million reasons ‘why not.’  First and foremost being that you were no longer the girl he was planning on marrying.

“Does Jessica know the truth about you?  I mean, does she know about the things that you’ve done?”

“No.  And she’s not ever going to know.”

That was it, wasn’t it?  That was why you were no longer ‘his girl.’  Sam knew you as a hunter.  That was all you’d ever be in his eyes.  If he’d stayed with you, that’s all he’d see when he’d look at you.

“Well, that’s healthy.  You can pretend all you want, Sammy.  But sooner or later, you’re gonna have to face up to who you really are.”

You stepped in between the brothers, facing Dean.  “Just let it go, Dean.  We’ll find John without him.”

“No, ______.”  Sam moved closer.  “Tell me, Dean.  Who am I?”

“You’re one of us.”  Dean seemed to sense your discomfort at being caught between them, so he shifted and began walking in the opposite direction.

Sam walked completely around you and cut in front of Dean.  “No.  I’m not like you.  This is not going to be my life.”

“You have a responsibility–”

“To Dad?” Sam scoffed.  “And his crusade?  If it weren’t for pictures, I wouldn’t even know what Mom looks like.  And what difference would it make?  Even if we do find the thing that killed her, Mom’s gone, and she isn’t coming back.”

In the blink of an eye, Dean had grabbed Sam and had slammed him up against the bridge railing.  You fought the urge to cheer Dean on.  You’d never heard Sam speak of his mother in such a callous tone.  Yeah, he’d said numerous times that he felt the hunt for his mother’s killer was pointless, since it wouldn’t bring her back, but he’d never said it like that, like he didn’t care.  True, it was probably just to push Dean’s buttons, but it made you angry as well.

“Don’t talk about her like that,” Dean said, before shoving himself back a step.  He turned away from Sam, sparing a glance at you.  “Let’s…shit.”

You whipped around to see what had startled him.  And there she was.  A beautiful woman–the same woman whose picture had been labelled as Constance Welch in the newspaper article you’d seen.  She was dressed in all white, her hair blowing in the night breeze.  She looked over at the three of you before falling forward, off the bridge.

You, Dean, and Sam took off running.

“Where’d she go?”  Dean peered over the edge of the bridge.

“I don’t know.”

Before you had a chance to say anything, the sound of a car starting had all of you turning.  All of a sudden, headlights turned on–headlights of the Impala.

“What the…”

“Who’s driving your car?”

Dean held up his hand and jangled his keys.

And just like that, the car began racing towards the three of you.

“Come on!  Let’s go! Go!”  Sam grabbed your hand.  All three of you started running, the car right behind you.  “______, hang on.”  Sam released your hand and grabbed you around your waist.  Then the two of you were airborne.

You waited for the impact of the ground, but it never came.  Slowly, you opened your eyes and found yourself suspended in midair.  The only thing keeping you from crash-landing in the water below was Sam’s one-arm hold around you.  His other hand was clinging to a beam of the bridge.

“Shit.”

“Can you reach up here and grab on?  My fingers are slipping.”  Sam hissed, trying to keep the two of you from plummeting.

“Where’s Dean?”

“______, grab the damned pole.”

“Fine.”  Thanks to having both hands free, you were able to pull yourself up fairly easily.  “Here.”  You helped Sam climb up onto the support beam.  Then you turned your attention back to the darkness below.  “Dean?”

“Dean!”  Sam shouted.

Finally, you spotted what he had.  Dean had apparently dived into the water and was currently pulling himself back onto dry land.

“What?”

“Hey, you alright?”

“I’m super.”  Dean groaned as he flopped onto his back.

Sam shook his head and laughed.  “Thank god.”

You closed your eyes and sighed in relief.

 

 

You watched as Sam picked the lock of room 10 with ease.  Dean stood watch, while you waited behind the wheel of the Impala.  If somebody caught you breaking in, somebody would need to drive the getaway car.

Sam grabbed Dean by the collar and nodded at you.  Quickly, you followed the brothers in, immediately taking note of all the pages of information tacked to the wall.  John was definitely onto something.  But he was nowhere in sight.

“I don’t think he’s been here for a couple of days, at least.”  Dean grimaced as he set the burger back down.

“Can’t smell any worse than you do, cowboy.”  You made a beeline for John’s notes.

As Dean rambled on about the victims, you noticed from your peripherals that Sam had spotted something.

“Dad figured it out.”

“What do you mean?”  That had both you and Dean moving to his side.

“He found the same article we did.  Constance Welch.  She’s a Woman in White.”

“You sly dogs.”  Dean smirked over at the wall with the victims’ information on it.

You ignored most of their conversation, focusing instead on the picture of Constance.  A Woman in White.  Her low-down, cheating husband was behind all of this.  And then had the nerve to look so grieved in the photo that had been in the article.

Of course, that didn’t condone her killing other men–although, these men were cheating bastards too.  But she had to be put to rest.  She couldn’t be allowed to continue her twisted punishment, although you could definitely understand where she was coming from.  When you’d been promised forever only to have it snatched away by the person who promised it, well, it kinda left a person a little bitter.

“Alright, jerk.”

“Bitch.”

You huffed out a laugh as you caught the end of whatever they’d been talking about.  Leave it to those two to solve any conflict between them through insults.

Dean darted into the bathroom, leaving you alone with Sam.  Shit.

“You OK?”  Damn Sam and those stupid puppy-eyes of his.

“I’m good.”  You faked a smile and shoved your hands in your pockets.

“Good.”  He bit his lip.  “So, how’ve you been?”

It was as bad as you thought it would be.  “I’m gonna go take a walk.”

“Sure.”

 

 

You turned the corner and the room you’d left Sam and Dean in was back in sight.  So was the cop car, with the officer Dean had been an ass to speaking to the man who’d been behind the front desk.  God damn it.  You scrambled for your phone just as Dean sauntered out of the room.

Dean, at least, was faster in getting his phone out.  He was probably calling Sam to warn him.  As soon as he hung up his phone, yours was buzzing in your hand.

“Sam!”

“Where are you?”

“Hiding from the cops.” You ducked back behind the corner of the motel.  “They have Dean.”

“Shit.”

“I can go try and con them into letting him–”

“Don’t even think about it, ______.  Stay hidden.  Dean’s a big boy.  He can handle himself.”  You could hear him moving around.  “I’m sneaking out the back.  Where are you?”

“Far corner of the motel from the main office.”

“I’ll be there in a sec.”

You closed your phone and crouched down lower, cringing when you saw Dean being slammed against the hood of the cop car.

Suddenly, a hand pressed against your mouth.  “It’s me.”

“Fuck you, Sam,” you hissed, spinning around to face him.  “Your brother is getting arrested.”

“Yeah, I kinda got that.”  

You huffed, needing to be further away from him than you were, currently.  “So, what do we do?”

“He told me to go find Dad.”

“And just leave Dean to rot?”

Sam frowned.  “We’ll get him out once we find Dad.”

“And how the hell are we supposed to do that?”

“We go talk to the husband.”

 

 

“Joseph Welch?”

“Yeah?”

You couldn’t help but give a little sigh of relief.  Maybe this guy could help lead you to John’s whereabouts, and this whole nightmare would be over.  Sam could go back to his ‘safe’ life with the girl he was going to marry and you could go back to pretending like he’d never meant anything to you at all.

“I–we were just wondering,” Sam held out a picture, “have you seen this man?”

“Why?”

“Well, we’re supposed to be shadowing him for work, but we think he beat us out here.  Can’t find him anywhere.”  You bit your lip, hopeful.  “Maybe he stopped by to talk to you for the article?”

“Yeah.  He was older, but that’s him.  He came by three or four days ago.  Said he was a reporter.”

“That’s right.  We’re all working on a story together.”

“Well, I don’t know what kind of story you’re working on…the questions he asked me.”  The man shook his head, clearly unnerved.

“About your late wife, Constance?”

“He asked me where she was buried.”

“And where is that again?”  Sam asked.

“What–I gotta go through these twice?”

“It’s fact checking.  If you don’t mind.”

You frowned.  “Mr. Welch, if you could help us, it would be greatly appreciated.”  You reached out and touched his arm gently.  “We just need to find him, and he goes wherever the story does.”

The man sighed.  “In a plot.  Behind my old place over on Breckenridge.”

You nodded, ready to go.

“Why did you move?”  Where was Sam going with this?

“I’m not gonna live in the house where my children died.”

Shit.  That’s right.  You’d forgotten all about that part of the legend.  A Woman in White was a scorned woman who killed her kids.  Temporary insanity from being cheated on or no, there was never a good reason to do what this woman had done.

“Mr. Welch, did you ever marry again?”

“Sam,” there was no point in continuing this line of conversation.

“No way.  Constance–she was the love of my life.  Prettiest woman I ever known.”

This guy couldn’t be for real.  All the deaths, starting with those of his children, all the way through Troy–all of them were on this man.  If he’d just kept his dick in his pants, none of this would have happened.  And he wanted to stand there, spouting out how she was the love of his life?

“So you had a happy marriage.”

Now, instead of trying to hurry this along, you were intrigued.  What was Sam hoping to find?

Joseph shook his head, as if he was in a daze.  “Definitely.”

“Well, that should do it.  Thanks for your time.”

Really?  Sam was just going to leave it at that?  You watched as Sam turned to the car, going so far as to pull the keys out of his pocket, before turning back.  

“Mr. Welch, you ever hear of a Woman in White?”

“What the hell, Sam?”  You glared at him.  That wasn’t what you had been expecting, at all.

“A what?”  Joseph cocked his head to the side.

Ignoring you, Sam pressed on.  “A Woman in White.  Or sometimes a Weeping Woman.  It’s a ghost story.  Well, it’s more of a phenomenon, really.”  He tucked the keys back into his pocket.  “They’re spirits.  They’ve been sighted for hundreds of years.  Dozens of places.  In Hawaii and Mexico.  Lately in Arizona, Indiana.  All of these are different women, you understand, but all share the same story.”

“Boy, I don’t care much for nonsense.”

“Sam, let’s just go.”

Sam continued.  “See, when they were alive, their husbands were unfaithful to them.  And these women, basically suffering from temporary insanity, murdered their children.  Then once they realized what they had done, they took their own lives.  So now their spirits are cursed, walking back roads, waterways.  And if they find an unfaithful man, they kill him.  And that man is never seen again.”

“You think–you think that has something to do with Constance, you smartass?”

“Sam,” you growled.

He didn’t even glance in your direction.  “You tell me.”

“I mean, maybe–maybe I made some mistakes,” Joseph began.

Some.  As in, more than one?  Man, Constance should have ganked this SOB and just been done with it all.

“But no matter what I did, Constance never would have killed her own children.  Now you get the hell out of here.  Both of you.  And you don’t come back.”

“Sorry, sir.”  You stepped in between the two men and shoved at Sam’s shoulders.  “Let’s go.”

“______–”

“Now.”  You marched forward, forcing Sam back towards the car.

 

 

“I just don’t get it.”  Sam said after several minutes of silent driving.  “He’s the catalyst for everything that’s been going on around here, and he refuses to even consider it a possibility.”

You worked your jaw.  “A lot of men don’t.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing.”  You rolled your eyes.

“No, really.  You’re pissed about something.  Is it because we haven’t busted Dean out yet?”  There was a bitter tang to his voice.

“Yes, Sam.  I’m mad because we haven’t busted your brother out of jail.  That’s all I could possibly be upset about.”  You reached over and turned the radio on.

He reached over and turned it off.  “What is going on with you?”

Instead of answering, you reached over and turned the radio back on.

“You know what?  Fine.”

 

 

“______?”

“Dean!”  You quickly wrapped your arms around him.  “Thank god.”

“Where the hell’s Sammy?”  He held you at arm’s length, his voice urgent.

“What?  He thought it’d be better if he was out a ways from the jail if the cops traced the call.  Left me here to grab you and then meet back up at the motel.”

“I just talked to him on the phone.  We got cut off.”

“Shit.”

Centennial Highway.  Constance.  Would she go after Sam?  Would she consider him–

“Let’s go.  Breckenridge, right?”

“Yeah.”  The two of you began running down the road.  “Oh, hey–”  you panted as you ran.  “John–I don’t think he’s in town anymore.”

“I know.  He left coordinates.”  Damn him for not sounding the least bit out of breath.

“Where?”

“Let’s get Sammy first.”

 

 

“You can’t kill me.  I’m not unfaithful.  I’ve never been.”  Sam’s words had you stopping short.

“Really?  Because I’m sure there’s someone who would disagree with you on that.”

The voice was followed by screams of pain.  She was gonna kill Sam!

Get your head in the fucking game!

Dean fired off several shots into the front window of the Impala.  There was Constance, the ghoulish features taking over her once beautiful face.  She looked directly at you, and there was almost…it seemed like she looked on you with some sort of pity.  Sympathy.  

Whatever it was, this bitch had to die.

You fired off a few rounds of your own, giving Sam enough time to start the car and drive it into the dilapidated house.

“Sam!”  You and Dean both yelled before running after the car.

“Sam?  You OK?”  Dean asked as he leaned in through the passenger window.  You kept your back to him, keeping an eye out for a reappearance from Constance, while his attention was on Sam.

“I think.”

“Can you move?”

“Yeah, help me.”

You spotted her.  “Fuck.”  You aimed your gun, only to see her bend over and pick up something in a frame.  Whatever it was, it had her entranced.

Then she spotted you.  You fired off several shots, none of them having the desired effect.  She simply glared and tossed the frame to the side.  A dresser slid across the room and pinned you, along with Sam and Dean, to the side of the Impala.

“How the hell do we kill her?”

The lights in the old house began to flicker.  Great.  Things were about to get a lot worse.  Only, Constance looked just as nervous as you felt.  Water was running down the stairs.  Water?  What?  

Wait.

Hadn’t she drowned–oh fuck.

“Dean, stairs,” you whispered.

There, at the top of the stairwell, stood two small figures.  If the reaction from Constance was anything to go by, these were her two kids–the ones she’d drowned.

“You’ve come home to us, Mommy.”

OK, that was officially one of the creepiest thing you’d ever heard.

Then, the kids were right next to Constance.  They clung to her, eliciting a scream from the Woman in White as the three apparitions melted their way into the floor.

Finally, the lights flickered off, and the three of you were able to push the dresser away.  You all walked over to the spot that was still damp–the exact place the ghosts had all vanished into.

“So, this is where she drowned her kids.”

You wrapped your arms around yourself.

“That’s why she could never go home.  She was too scared to face them.”  Sam looked over at you and smiled.  And subsequently ripped the last of your heart out.

“You found her weak spot.  Nice work, Sammy.”  Dean slapped his hand over the burn marks in Sam’s shirt.

 

 

“You’re not going.”

“The interview’s in like ten hours–I gotta be there.”

“Yeah.  Yeah, whatever.  I’ll take you home.”

Back to Jess.  Back to all the dreams he was going to fulfill.  Dreams he’d promised you, only to rip them from you.  

Fuck, it hurt.  Now that the adrenaline from the hunt had started to wane, the heartache you felt was back, full force.  You closed your eyes, trying to fend off the onslaught of emotions.

“You alright back there?”

“Fine.”  You slumped down in the seat and Dean took the hint.

 

 

“You’ll call me if you find him?”  Sam leaned his head back in through the window.  “Maybe I can meet up with you later, huh?”

“Yeah, alright.”

You huffed, but otherwise, said nothing.

“Hey, um…______, I thought you were getting out of hunting.”

“Planned on it.  Didn’t work out.”  You tried to keep the iciness out of your tone, but even Dean turned in his seat to look at you.

“Oh.”  Sam frowned, then stepped back from the car.

“Sam!”  Dean leaned towards the passenger window.  “You know, we made a hell of a team back there.  The three of us, together again.”

“Yeah.”  The smile on Sam’s face didn’t reach his eyes.

Dean gave him a brief smile before putting the car in drive.  “Talk.”

“Leave me alone, Dean.”

“No, ______.  Something got to you.  Back there, on the hunt.  What that Constance chick said to Sam.  Something about–”

“–about someone disagreeing with him about remaining faithful.  Yeah, I know.”

“So, was she talking about you?”

“What the hell does it matter, Dean?  We ganked the bitch.  Hunt over.  Life moves on.”

He pulled the car to the curb and put it in park before turning around.  “It matters because it’s a liability.  You lost focus, ______, and nearly got Sammy killed.”

“It’s not like the bullets were actually doing anything to her,” you snapped.

Dean studied you for a moment before sighing.  “What happened?”

“Nothing.”

“Obviously something happened to get you–”

“Nothing happened, Dean.  He promised he’d call me as soon as he got a place and I could go be with him.  I never got so much as a single text message after the moment he stepped onto that bus to Stanford.  And I had no way to reach him, short of stealing my dad’s car again and driving out here.  So, I tried to be patient.  I figured he just needed time.  Maybe he didn’t want me to worry since it seemed to be taking him so long.  Three years later, I show up on his doorstep with you, only to find out he has a girlfriend–apparently one he’s been with long enough that he wants to marry her.  So yeah, nothing fucking happened.”

“Shit.”

“Yeah.  So, I’m sorry if I feel like maybe I got cheated out of something.  He told me he loved me and then conveniently forgets to call me for three fucking years.”

“I guess when Dad told him to stay gone…”

“Really, Dean?  That’s what you’re going with?”

“Look, ______, I know it doesn’t mean much–”

“I don’t want your apologies.”  You sighed, wiping the tears from your eyes.  “If you wanna go back and beg him to hunt with you, fine.  I just–I can’t be around him anymore.”  You could see in his eyes that he was conflicted and you felt guilty.  None of this was Dean’s fault.  You had no right to take out your frustrations on him.

And it was at that moment that you knew what you had to do.

“Look,” you unfastened your seatbelt.  “You are my best friend.  As weird and twisted as you are, you are my older brother, and I will love you forever for what you’ve done for me.  But maybe, for right now, I need to go it alone for a while.”

“You still gonna hunt?”

You shrugged.  “Who knows?  Maybe I’ll try the whole settling down thing.”

“I know you.  You’ll get bored in a week.”  He grinned, but it didn’t reach his eyes.  “Call if you need something?”

“If I run into any trouble I can’t handle, you’ll be the first to hear about it.”  You smiled, but it definitely felt forced.  “Pop the trunk?”

“Yeah.”  He switched the car off before climbing out.  He had the trunk open before you were completely out of the car.  As soon as you stepped towards him, he handed you your duffel.  “I’m not really good about goodbyes.”

“Well, you’re gonna have to tough out a hug, big guy.”  You dropped your bag at your feet before wrapping your arms around him.  “Love you, Dean.”  You leaned up and kissed his cheek.

“Love you, too, little sister.”  He ruffled your hair and finally flashed you a genuine smile.


End file.
